Introduction
The EgglestonWorks Rosa, some may say, is the little brother to the now
famous Andra. It is quite similar in design and execution with the
major difference being in the driver complement and crossover points.
The Rosa relies on the same excellent Esotar tweeter from Dynaudio and
uses 4, 6 inch drivers positioned in a vented vertical array. The
footprint is deeper than it is narrow and the front baffle has a
natural slope to aid in imaging. The enclosure itself is an exercise on
how speaker enclosures should be built with rigidity beyond belief and
serious internal bracing. The exterior finish is one of absolute beauty
with black lacquer covering the front, trapezoidal top and rear of the
enclosure, while beveled, polished slabs of black Italian granite
adorns the sides of each speaker. The entire ensemble, weighs the
$9,900 a pair Rosa's, in at a hefty 210 pounds each.
The Sound
I spent ...

Introduction
Wilson
Audio is a name that needs little formal introduction. In business for
over 20 years, creator of the WATT/Puppy - AudioRevolution.com’s 1999
Speaker and Product of the Year - Wilson Audio is the company behind
the new entry-level CUB II loudspeaker. Few companies over the decades
have sustained Wilson Audio’s high measure of success and respect
within the audio industry.
At first glance, the Wilson
CUB’s look is pretty darn basic. They resemble fairly typical
mini-monitors. That is, of course, if you are looking at them from
across a room. The finish on the CUBs, as with all Wilson loudspeakers,
is second to none. Wilson calls this their WilsonGloss finish. For
those who haven’t seen WilsonGloss at close range, we’re talking pure
art. This article and the photos here couldn’t begin to do justice to
the finish on the CUBs. I recently had the opportunity to visit the
Wilson factory in Provo, Utah, and ...

Introduction
With true convergence as the objective, Yamaha’s RP-U100 ($499)
Personal Receiver is the first audio component to accept the audio
signal directly from a computer (Mac or PC). It provides switching
capability between the PC, a built-in AM/FM tuner and two other
outboard components, such as a CD or MD player. I used the two-way
acoustic suspension NS-U50 speakers ($129 per pair) that Yamaha
designed specifically for the RP-U100. The YST-SW45 ($149) powered
subwoofer rounded out the system.
Regardless of what happens to Napster or MP3.com, it is abundantly
clear that our computers will be a primary gateway for distributing,
receiving, collecting and storing music files. So it stands to reason
that the audio systems that reproduce these files must be of a higher
quality than they have been in the past. While many computers are
outfitted with speakers, performance levels vary radically. Moreover,
even decent speakers are limited by the computer’s internal soundcard.
The ...

Introduction
Miller
& Kreisel (M&K) frequently used in professional audio and
DVD/film scoring studios has long been known as a pioneer in the field
of separate satellites and subwoofers. This type of configuration
allows the satellites to be smaller and to be positioned where they
will produce the best imaging without worrying about bass response.
Those of us with large tower speakers have spent many hours moving them
around a few inches at a time, trying to find that perfect compromise
position that allows the speakers to both image well and have a smooth,
extended bass response. The separate satellite and subwoofer
combination as used in the M&K systems allows the satellites to be
positioned for optimal imaging and the subwoofer(s) placed for optimal
bass response. Of course, if it were this easy to get incredible sound,
everyone would be doing it. The satellite and subwoofer configuration
presents its own problems, mainly the integration between ...

Athena Technologies S3/P3, P1/C1
Athena
Technologies is a new line of speakers from API, the company that
brings you the Mirage and Energy speakers. Athena’s pedigree is very
solid and the Athena line fits in nicely between Energy and Mirage. The
speaker combination I reviewed consisted of the top-of-the-line
subwoofer/satellite combination for the four corners, with the smallest
subwoofer paired up with their center channel. The retail price for the
system I selected was a very reasonable $4,125 (C1 $250 each, P1 $275
each, S3 $600 per pair, P3 $600 each). Several finishes are available.
The cherry wood review samples were well finished and aesthetically
pleasing. The S3 is a three-way satellite with a 1" tweeter, 5 _"
midrange and 8" woofer. The P3 subwoofer is a 150-watt amplifier
driving a 10" driver in a ported enclosure.
The Athena lineup consists of three subwoofer options, the P1, P2 and
P3, three satellite options, S1, S2 ...